Peet’s Explorer Series is a monthly subscription of limited release, freshly roasted, single-origin beans and blends. For $18 a pound of coffee beans, the Limited Release offerings include those tried and true beans from Peet’s favorite growers that have demonstrated great flavor profiles and consistent quality year after year. You can also order the Peet’s Coffee Explorer Series in larger quantities, at $35 for 2 pounds and $49 for 3 pounds of coffee beans. What’s more, you get to choose what you like delivered to you from whole bean, ground drip, ground espresso, ground for a press pot & percolator, or ground for a commercial brewer.
The packaging has a humidity control valve and resealable top to keep the coffee beans fresh. This subscription sticks to the basics and doesn’t include any extras in the way of literature or tasting notes, aside from a few words on the bag itself.
Peet’s Coffee Brazil Campos Altos ($19.95) We received one pound of the Brazil Campos Altos Medium Roast from Peet’s Coffee. I use a burr grinder to get my grounds just right for my Aeropress, so I order the whole bean coffee.
They indicate the roast date and a “freshest by” date. The coffees ship almost immediately after roasting, so you are unlikely to have any beans hanging around to get stale, unless you seriously stockpile the stuff.
OBSESSED WITH FRESH
We hand-roast every night so we can deliver fresh-roasted beans daily. We do it because fresh beans make better coffee. You might think we’re crazy. You’re probably right. And you can taste it in every cup.
The packaging also includes tips on getting the best cup every time you brew. They recommend getting the right grind, storing it in an airtight container, and using the right amount of grounds and fresh, cold, filtered water to create the perfect cup of coffee.
If this is your first time to subscribe to Peet’s, you’ll read a bit of information on their Limited Release. Peet’s has been turning out superior coffees since the 60s. They’ve kept track of their favorites over the years, compiling a nice catalog of high-quality producers from around the world. The best are featured in the Limited Release Series.
I like the stunning, golden-brown color of these roasted beans. They’re just dark enough to start sweating a bit, but the medium roast preserves most of the fruity nuance of the beans.
We don’t get much info on the production process, but I’d hazard a guess that the beans were treated to washed processing, given the small amount of membrane and the clean flavor profile.
This pack of medium roast coffee beans has a nutty and sweet taste. There is a good dose of roasty hazelnut and maybe a bit of unctuous Brazil nut, layered with a caramel sweetness and a touch of tropical fruit.
The balance is superb — you get both the rich nutty flavor you expect from a Brazilian coffee, but it also has a hint of sweet fruits, reminiscent of some great Central American coffees.
It brews up very dark, but the flavor is warm and roasty without any burnt or bitter notes.
It’s okay not to add anything to it because it tastes fine as it is. This coffee is very smooth and fairs well without needing any lightener.
If this is your first time to trying a coffee bean subscription, Peet’s is a great place to start. They are a big producer, so they have no issues with consistency or quality, and they have a roasting philosophy I personally adore. They tend to stop short of the full Italian-style roast you see from Starbucks, so their flavor profiles retain more liveliness, but they also play it safer than some specialty shops that occasional feature beans with notes of tomato or yogurt (interesting, but not for everyone), so you get balanced coffees with both pleasant roast and interest.
What do you think of this month’s box?
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